Floor crane



Feb. 6, 1968 R. A. KAPLAN 3,367,512

FLOOR CRANE Filed Jan.v l0. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet l FIE R. A. KAPLAN FLOORCRANE Feb. 6, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. lO, 1966 Feb. 6, 1968 R.A. KAPLAN 3,367,512

FLOOR CRANE Filed Jan. lO, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet R. A. KAPLAN '.Feb. s,1968 FLOOR CRANE 4 Sheets-Sham 4 Filed Jan. l0, 1966 United StatesPatent O 3,367,512 FLOOR CRANE Reuben A. Kaplan, Owatonna, Minn.,assignor to Owatonna Tool Company, a corporation of Minnesota Filed Jan.10, 1966, Ser. No. 519,708 6 Claims. (Cl. 212-8) ABSTRACT or THEnrscLosUnE The invention relates to the eld of portable lifting devicesor hoists for use in garages or other service areas of limited sizewherein heavy inconvenient loads must be lifted without the benefit ofan overhead crane. The crane has one set of rollers which are used whenthe boom and support legs are collapsed and which rollers becomeinoperative when the support legs are extended and other rollers carriedthereon engage the supporting surface. The support legs are laterallyadjustable for optimum stability under different types and kinds ofloads. A manually operable pump means is stored on the crane but can bemoved to remote areas for use when the crane is being used to raisedangerous or awkward loads.

This invention relates to a floor crane and more particularly to acollapsible and portable floor crane that is readily moved and easilystored in a minimum of space.

Various multipurpose relatively small cranes have been known and usedheretofore and in fact are still in use today. Of the known cranes, manybreak down into two categories: those mounted on the bed of a truck; andthose mounted on wheels for movement around a shop. Of these cranesthere are certain disadvantages which limit their over-all usefulness.For instance, of those mounted on wheels, in order to be sta-ble enoughnot to tip over when lifting a load, a relatively widespread set of legsmust be provided extending outwardly from the mast of the craneTheselegs interfere with ready movement of the crane from place to place andtake up large spaces for storage of the crane when not in use. Many ofthe cranes of both types have the pumps or actuating mechanisms mountedon the frame or mast of the crane. This requires that the operator be inclose to the crane when operating the lifting and lowering mechanismwhich might not be a convenient or safe place to be. In addition, someof the cranes of the wheel mounted type provide some sidewise swingingor pivoting of the mast and boom of the crane, but if care is notexercised the swing might be too great and the crane will tip overdtunping the load.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to overcome theabove noted disadvantages of the prior known cranes.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved floor cranethat is readily folded into a compact and portable condition.

And another object of this invention is to provide an improved cranethat has its actuating mechanism removable from the frame of the craneso that it can be placed at anyvconvenient location lfor use inoperating the crane.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved floor cranethat has means for limiting sidewise pivoting of the boom and mast so asto prevent tipping of the crane.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved oor cranehaving means for collapsing the boomy against the mast to eliminateprojection of the boom in front of the crane when not in use.

And a further object of the invention is to provide an improved floorcrane having novel means, not only for adjusting the stabilizing legsoutwardly from the base for increasing the stability of the crane, butalso for re- 3,367,5l2 Patented Feb. 6, 1968 ICC leasing said legs sothat they can be folded against the mast to make it easier to move thecrane around and easier to store the crane in a minimum of oor space.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved cranehaving a pump connected with the operating mechanism by a iiexibleconnection that provides increased versatility to the device.

Further objects and advantages will become readily apparent from thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of the floor crane with parts brokenaway and shown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a pump of the type adapted foruse with the floor crane;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the floor crane of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the floor crane with the boom and legsfolded and latched to the mast of the crane;

FIGURE 5 is a front view of the iloor crane of FIG- URE 1 with partsbroken away and in section;

FIGURE 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of FIGURE 7;and

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7 7 of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and in particular to FIGURES1, 2 and 3, the floor crane apparatus 10 consists generally of a base11, a pair of outwardly extending legs 12 and 13 pivoted to said base,an upstanding standard or mast 15 on said base, a boom 16 pivoted at oneend portion 17 to the upper portion 18 of the mast 15, hoisting chains20 and hooks 21 on the boom, and a lever operated pump 22 removablymounted on said base 11.

The base 11 includes a box channel portion 23 having transverselydisposed C-shaped angle irons forming sides 2S, 26 secured at each endthereof and extending a short distance rearward and forward of said boxchannel 23. The C-shaped sides 25, 26 have their vertical walls 24welded to the ends of the channel portion 23 with the top and bottomwalls 27, 28 lying parallel to the plane of the base and extendingoutward from said channel 23, An angle iron 30 has a base 31 welded tothe upper surfaces of the top walls 27 of the C-shaped sides 25, 26 witha wall 32 extending upward in a plane substantially perpendicular to theplane of the base 11. The angle iron 30 lies generally parallel to thebox channel 23 and has its ends extending outward some distance beyondthe C-shaped sides 25, 26. The extended ends 31 of the base 31 of theangle iron 30 are bent upward at an angle to the major portion of thebase 31 for a reason to be described hereinafter.

A U-shaped support 34 is secured to the center of the box channel 23 andprojects rearwardly therefrom to pivotally support the inverted U-shapedbracket 35 by means of a vertical pin 36 extending through alignedopenings 37, 37 in the bases of the respective U-shaped parts. Theopening 37 in the bracket 34 is oblong so as to provide some clearancebetween ,the pin 36 `and the back wall of the opening 37. The downwardlydepending arms of the bracket 35 receive the axle 38 which has a pair ofwheels 319 mounted thereon. A handle 40 is rigidly secured to thebracket 35 and extends upward at a convenient angle so as to be readilyavailable for grasping. The pin 36 has a bend at 42 and has at-ransversely extending cotter pin 43 through the outer end portionthereof. When the axle 38 is substantially parallel to the channel 23,the outer end of the handle can be moved toward the mast 15 which willpivot the bracket 35 about its edge 44, pulling the pin 36 past its bend42 `through the opening 37' to raise the wheels olf the ground for apurpose to be explained hereinafter.

The base 11 has a pair of wheels 46, 47 mounted on axles 48, 49extending from the base walls of the C- shaped irons 25, 26 throughreinforcing plates 50 welded between the top and bottom walls 27, 28 ofsaid C-shaped irons 25, 26. The wheels 46, 47 are mounted outboard ofthe base 11 and are adapted to support the fore part of the floor cranebase 11, and to roll freely on a supporting surface 51. A pair oflocking blocks 52, 53 are Welded to the rear portion of the respectiveC-shaped irons 25, 26 and extend downwardly from the bottom wall 28thereof. The lengths of the blocks 52, 53 is somewhat critical in thatwhen the wheels 39 and their supporting brackets 35 are in the positionof FIGURE 4, the handle 40 will be disposed at approximately a 45 angleto the horizontal so that the wheels 39 will be in contact with thesurface 51 with the blocks S2, 53 raised off the surface 51. The weightof the crane will be supported on the wheels 39 and 46, 47. The cranewith the legs '12, 13 collapsed can then be wheeled around freely on thewheels `39, 46 and 47. With the handle 40 positioned up against the mast15, the wheels `39 and bracket 35 will be pivoted about the edge 44 ofthe bracket (see the left hand portion of FIGURE l) so as to lower theback part of the base 11 until the blocks 52, 53 engage the surface 51which will in effect lock the crane 10 in that position against movementrelative to the surface 51. The wheels 46, 47 and the blocks 52, 53 willsupport the crane when the blocks 52, 53 engage the surface 51.

The outwardly extending legs 12 and 13 are each independently pivoted attheir rear end portion to the rear end portions of the C-shaped sides25, 26 respectively, about two transversely disposed axes. That is,referring to FIGURES l, 3 and 5, a support plate S5 is welded betweenthe top and bottom walls 27, 28 of each of the C- `shaped sides 25, 26so that a pivot pin 56 can extend through the base wall of each C-shapedside and through the plate 55 into and through a vertical base wall 57of a bracket 58. It is to be understood that leg 12 can be pivoted inand out relative to the base 11 completely independently of the leg 13and vice versa. The faces of the base walls 57 of the brackets 58 andthe plates S5 on the sides 25, 26 of the base 11 are in juxtaposedrelation with each other and are adapted to slide relative to each otherabout the axis of the horizontally disposed pins 56. Each bracket 58 hasa horizontally extending spaced apart top and bottom flange 60, 61connected to the base wall 57. The rear end portion of the box channel612 which runs the full length of and constitutes the major portion ofthe leg 13 is nested between the flanges 60, 61 of the bracket 58 on theright, as viewed in FIGURE 3. A pivot pin 63 passes through tle flanges60, 61 of the bracket 58 and through the top and bottom flanges ofthechannel 62 of the leg 13 so that the leg 13 can pivot relative to thebracket 58 about the axis of the pin 63. Leg 12 is comprised of a boxchannel 62 which runs the full length of and constitutes the majorportion of said leg. A pivot pin 63 passes through flanges 60, 61 of thebracket 58 on the left of FIGURE 3 and through the top and bottom wallsof said box channel 62 of the leg 12 so that the leg 12 can pivotrelative to the bracket 58 about the axis of the pin 63.

The legs 12 and 13 each have a support block 65 welded to the bottomwalls of the box channels 62 and 62 respectively, both in verticalalignment with the fore part of the base 11. The blocks 65 extenddownwardly slightly below the bottom surface of wheels 46, 4-7. When thelegs 12 and 13 are in position with respect to the angle iron 30, thewheels 47 will be raised off the surface 51 as will be described morefully hereinafter. A threaded `aperture 66 is formed both in the topwalls of the legs 112 and 13 of the box channels 62', 62 respectively,each one in alignment with a .threaded locking pin 67 extendingdownwardly from and through the base 31 of the L- shaped iron 30. Eachpin 67 has a sleeve 68 forming an abutment 69 partway along the lengthof the pin 67. A

handle 71 passes through the sleeve 68 which is adapted to be graspedand turned for threading the appropriate pin 67 into or out of thethreaded aperture 66 in the channel 62 of the leg 13 or in the channel62 of the leg 12. The threaded end portion 72 of each pin 67 passesthrough an arcuate slot 73 forrned in said base 31 of the L-shaped iron30. Each slot 73 is arcuate in shape and has the center of the radius ofthe arc located at the axis of the pivot pin 63. With Ithe appropriatepin 67 slightly unthreaded from the aperture in the leg 12 or 13, theleg can be pivoted outward and inward within the limits of the arcuateslot 73 and can be locked in any position along the slot 73 by threadingthe pin 67 down until the abutment 69 on the sleeve 68 engages with thebase 31 to lock the leg 12 or 113 Ito the iron 30.

Each pin 67 can be threaded completely out of the aperture 66 either inthe channel 62 of the leg 13 or in the channel 62' of the leg 12 so thatthe leg can be pivoted outwardly about the axis of the pivot 63, 63 to aposition beyond the limit of the iron 30. The legs 12 and 13 can then bepivoted upwardly about the axis of the pivot 56 for a purpose to be morefully described hereinafter.

A horizontal plate 75 is secured such as by welding to the top wall ofthe channel 62 to extend beyond the end of the channel 62. Likewise, ahorizontal plate 75' is secured as by welding to the top wall of the boxchannel 62 to extend beyond the end of said channel. Inverted U-shap'edbrackets 76 and 76 are mounted to the undersurface of the plates 75 and75 to swivel or pivot about vertical axes passing through the brackets76, 76 and the plates 75, 75 respectively. Horizontally disposed axles77 and 77 pass between the legs of the brackets 76 and 76 for rotatablysupporting wheels 78 and 78 respectively. Since the brackets 76, 76'with the wheels 78, 78 are mounted to swivel or pivot about the verticalaxes relative to the legs 12 and 13, the wheels 78 and 78 will alwaysalign themselves to roll in the direction of movement of the oor crane.The legs 12 and 13 are moved relative to the base 11 with the pins 67riding loosely in the arcuate slots of the iron 30, until the desiredposition of the legs is found, whereupon the pins 67 are turned down tolock the legs relative to the base 11. As the crane is pushed in aparticular direction, the swivel mounted wheels 78 and 78 will alignwith the direction of movement permitting the crane to be moved over theoor. The legs 12 and 13 can be locked in position on the base with pins67 or can be released and pivoted out and up out of engagement with theoor.

In the illustrated form, the legs 12 and 13 are channel shaped memberswhich have the brackets 76', 76 and wheels 78', 78 swivel mounted on theouter ends of said legs respectively. It is to be understood that one ofthe legs 12 or 13 could be formed of an I-beam instead of the d channelshaped member and the wheel on the outer end thereof could be rotatablymounted in a U-bracket, which bracket would be rigidly carried by theplate on the leg. Said wheel would be generally oriented to roll in thedirection substantially parallel to the horizontal centerline of thecrane. With one wheel swivel mounted, for instance, and one wheel 78oriented generally in a forward direction, it is still possible tofreely maneuver the crane about a work area.

The contact surfaces of the blocks 52, 53 on the base 11, the Contactsurface of blocks 65 on the legs 12, 13 and the outer wheels 78 and 78'all lie in a common plane designated as 51A in FIGURE 1. The diameter ofthe wheels 46, 47 is slightly smaller than the distance from the frame11 to the plane 51A so that when the legs 12, 13 are in the extendedposition of FIGURE 1, the wheels 46, 47 will not Contact the surface ofthe ground. That is, referring to FIGURE 1, with the handle 40 at 45 tothe surface 51, the crane will be supported on the wheels 39, 39 and 78,78', bearing on the surface 51. With the handle 40 up close to the mast15, the wheels 5 39 will be raised so that the plane 51A will coincidewith the surface 51 and the blocks 52, 53, 65, 65 and the wheels 78, 78'will support the crane in a locked relatively immobile position.

The mast has an upper portion 79 connected to the boom 16 and a lowerportion 8!) pivotally supported on the base 11. The lower portion 80 issquare in cross section and has a top plate 81 bolted to the upperportion 79 of the mast 15 and has a bottom plate 82 through which anupstanding pivot shaft 83 extends. The shaft 83 is carried by thebox-shaped channel 23 on the base 11. The shaft 83 has a collar 85 nearits lower end portion for slidably engaging a bearing 86 in the aperture87 in the bottom pl-ate 82. A reduced diameter pin 90 projects upwardlyfrom the top surface of the shaft 83 and rotatably engages in a taperedbearing 91 positioned between said pin 90 and an undercut recess 92formed in the top plate 81. The coaction between the shaft 83, thebearings 91 and 86 and the portion 80 of the mast 15 provides the meansfor providing the mast 15 and boom 16 with a limited degree of movementabout the veertical axis of the shaft 83.

The upper portion 79 of the mast 15 is a U-shape in cross section withthe U opening toward the front of the crane and having the base of the Uforming the back wall 92 and the arms of the U forming the side Walls93, 94. The side walls 93, 94 have outwardly extending fianges 95 whichare bolted to the top plate 81 of the bottom portion 80 of mast 15.

The boom 16 has a portion 98 angled downwardly from the plane of themain box-shaped body portion 99 and is pivoted to the mast 15 by meansof a pivot pin 96 passing through the portion 98 and through the walls93, 94 of the upper portion 79 of the mast 15. The portion 98 of theboom 16 is rigidly secured to the box-shaped body portion 99 forming themajor part of said boom 16. A shelf 100 is secured between the twoopposite walls of the box-shaped portion 99 so as to form a track withinthe contines of said boo-m 16. An extension arm 102 which can bebox-shaped in cross section is adapted to telescopically slide withinportion 99 on the track 100 formed therein and has a transverselydisposed angled member 103 secured across the open end of said arm 192with one wall of the member 193 extending upwardly. A chain 20 with thehooks 21 can be passed over the upwardly extending wall and can bedropped on opposite sides of the angled member 103. The arm 102 issecured to the boom 16 by means of a pin 104 which is passed throughaligned apertures 105 formed in the opposite walls of the portion 99 ofthe boom. A plurality of apertures 107 are formed down the length of theside of the arm 102, which apertures are adapted to be selectivelyaligned with the aperture 105 so that the pin 104 can be passedtherethrough to lock the arm 102 relative to the boom 16 in a desiredposition.

A hydraulic cylinder 110 is adapted to be connected between the portion79 of the mast 15 and an intermediate portion of the boom 16 so thatactuation of the cylinder will raise and lower the boom 16 relative tothe mast 15 about the pivot 96. The hydraulic cylinder 110 is composedof a base portion 111 which is pivoted to the mast 15 by a pin 113passing through said base 111 and the walls of the portion 79. Withinthe base portion 111 is a hydraulic piston, not shown, which isconnected to the end of the piston rod 115 extending outwardly from thebase portion 111. The outer end of the rod 115 is pivotally secured tothe boom 116 by the pivot pin 117 passing between the opposite walls ofthe boom 16 near the juncture of the portion 98 and the portion 99 ofsaid boom. A control valve 120 is mounted on the portion 79 of the mast15 and is connected by appropriate piping 121 to the operative end ofthe piston in the hydraulic cylinder 110. The other end of the valve 120is connected by iiexible tubing 122 to the lever actuating pump 22 whichis adapted to be mounted in the stored condition on a 6 set of brackets124 secured to the top walls 27 of the sides 25, 26.

The pump 22 can be any one of several well known types commerciallyavailable and can have a lever 125 pivoted at 126 to one end portion 127of the pump. A pair of mounting supports 128, 129 are connected toopposite ends of the pumping cylinder 130 which supports are adapted tonest in the brackets 124 carried on the base 11. The lever 125 can beeither hand actuated or foot actuated depending upon the location andtype of pump and the availability of a hand or a foot of the operator. Ahandle 131 is provided on the body 130 of the pump to be grasped formoving the pump from one location to another.

The pump 22 is adapted to be stored on the base 11 of the crane and whenready for use, the pump can be removed and placed on a floor, a table orany other convenient location away from the base of the crane so thatactuation of the pump will not disturb the location of the cranerelative to the work being lifted and will not require the operator tobe so close to the work being lifted that he is needlessly exposed tothe common hazards created by falling objects slipping off the chains ona crane.

With the pump 22 being operated, the hydraulic cylinder will raise theboom 16 from a collapsed position such as shown in dotted lines inFIGURE 1 against the mast 15 to any desired horizontal position. In usethe hooks 21 on the chain 20 would be engaged with the work to be liftedwith the boom 16 in some generally downwardly angled position. As thecylinder then raises the boom 16 toward a horizontal position, thechains will lift the work any desired amount from the surface 51 or froma frame supporting the work.

For storing the crane the handle 40 should be located in the 45 positionwith respect to the mast 15 so that the crane is supported by the wheels78, 78 and 39. The boom 16 is lowered to the dotted line position ofFIG- URE 1 and the legs 12, 13 are unlocked from the angle iron 30 bybacking the locking pins 67 out of the apertures 66 in the top surfaceof the legs. The legs 12, 13 are then pivoted about the axes of the pins63, 63 until they clear the outer ends of the member 30. Once the legs12 and 13 clear the outer ends 31 of the angle iron 30, the fore part ofthe base 11 will dr-op down until the wheels 46, 47 engage the surface51. The legs 12, 13 are then raised by pivoting them about the axis ofthe pin 56 until the legs clear the upper surface of the members 30. Itis noted that the preceding motion will remove the wheels 78, 78 andblocks 65 from any supporting relation of the crane. The crane is thensupported on the Wheels 39 and 46, 47. At this point the handle 40 canbe kept in the 45 position with the crane movable on the wheels 39, 46and 47 or the handle can be moved up to the mast 15 which raises thewheels 39 off the surface and permits the blocks 52, 53 to engage thesurface 51 for holding the crane against movement relative to thesurface 51. The legs 12, 13 can be moved inward about the axis 63, 63toward each other and further pivoted about the axis of the pin 56 untilthey are in a substantially vertical position. Hangers 133 are carriedby the sides of the mast 15 and are adapted to engage through openings134 in the legs 12 and 13 with wing nuts 133 engaging the hangers 133for holding the legs in the collapsed position best shown in FIGURE 4.With the handle 40 moved to a 45 angle. the wheels 39, 39 and 46, 47will support the crane so that it can be wheeled about. When thecollapsed crane is properly located for storage or for further use, thehandle 40 is pivoted in close to the mast 15 which will lower the base11 of the crane to the point where the blocks 52, 53 will engage withthe surface 51 and will prevent further movement of the crane.

To set the crane up for the lifting function, the wheels 39 are engagedwith the surface 51 by moving the handle 40 away from the mast 15 andinto a position at an angle of approximately 45 with the surface 51. Thebase 11 is supported on the wheels 39, 39 and on the wheels 46,

47. The legs 12 and 13 are disengaged from the hangers 133 and arepivoted away from the mast 15 a short dis tance about the axes of thepins 63, 63. The legs are then pivoted forward about the axes of thepins 56 until the legs clear the ends 31 of the member 30 and the wheels78, 78 engage with the surface 51. Leg 13 is then moved inward towardthe base 11 until the top flange of the I-beam 62 engages with theundersurface of the upturned ends 31 of the angle iron 30. The mast ofthe crane is rocked back and forth as the leg is forced under the angleiron until the pin 67 in the slot 73 in the angle iron 30 can be engagedin the threaded aperture 66 in the leg for locking the leg relative tothe base 11. The rocking motion will raise the wheels 46 or 47 off thesurface 51 so that the crane is now supported on the wheels 39, 39 and78. The other leg 12 is assembled with the base in the same manner onlyfrom the other side so that the crane will end up supported on wheels39, 39, 78 and 78. The handle 40 being positioned at a 45 angle to thesurface 51 permits the wheels 39, 39 and 78, 78 to contact the surface51 to support the weight of the crane. It is believed to be obvious thatwhen the legs 12, 13 are pivoted down so that the wheels 78, 78' contactthe surface 51, the legs will not be readily aligned to slide sidewaysunder the angle iron 30, but by rocking the crane side to side on thewheels 39 and 46, 47 the legs can be forced under the angle iron 30 andthen further forced into position for locking to the base 11 by pins 67.As the base is rocked and the legs are moved under the angle iron 30,the wheels 46, 47 will be raised off the surface 51 and the fore part ofthe cranes weight will be supported on the wheels 78, 78 instead of onthe wheels 46, 47.

By pivoting the handle 40 into the vertical position close to the mast15, the wheels 39 will be raised off the surface 51 and the rear part ofthe crane will be supported on the blocks 65, 65 and 52, 53. With thecrane supported on blocks 65, 65, 52, 53, and wheels 78, 78', a load canbe raised or lowered with ease. With a load supported by the boom andchains the handle 40 can be pivoted to the 45 position whereby the rearpart of the crane is supported by the rear wheels 39 whereupon the cranewith its load can be wheeled from place to place.

A means is provided for limiting the amount of pivoting of the mast 15about its Vertical axis. The mast `15 has secured to the forward centralpart of its plate 82 a forwardly projecting tongue 135 which extends toa point which slightly overlaps with the base wall 31 of the angle iron30. A plate 136 is secured to the wall 31 in slightly spacedrelationship by means of washers 137 tting between the plate 136 and thewall 31 so that the tongue can t and move between the plate 136 and thewall 31. An aperture 139 extends through the plate 136 and in oneposition is aligned with an aperture 140 in the overlapping end of thetongue 135. A pin 143 lits into the aligned apertures 139, 140 tothereby lock the mast 15 in its centermqst position against rotationabout its vertical axis relative to the base 11. The pin 143 can beremoved and the mast 15 can be pivoted a limited number of degrees tothe left or to the right about the axis of the mast 15. In eitherposition, left or right of the center of the plate 136, the mast can belocked in that angled position by `dropping the pin through the aperture139 in the plate so that it will engage against the edge of the tongueso as to lock the tongue between the pin 139 and one of the washers 137.

Generally when the mast 15 and boom 16 are to be positioned at an anglewith respect to the middle of the crane, by movement about the axis ofthe mast 15, either or both of the legs 12 and 13 can be pivoted outwardwith respect to the base 11 into a more extreme outward position in thearcuate slots 73. In this way the crane will be maintained in a stableposition and will not be likely to tip over from the load that is beinglifted by the crane and supported in a position olf center with respectthereto.

With a load being carried by the crane it is possible to move the craneand load from one location to another by pivoting the handle 40 from theposition close to the mast 15 to the position wherein the wheels 39 willengage the surface 51. Further movement of the handle toward the 45position will permit the wheels 39 to raise the rear portion of thecrane to lift the base off the blocks 65. The crane will be supported onthe wheels 39, 39, 78, 78 as shown in FIGURE l, so that pressure on thehandle 40 can be applied to move and steer the crane and load about theshop. The crane can again be locked against movement by pivoting thehandle 40 to the position against the mast 15 to raise the wheels 39 offthe surface and again engage the blocks 65 with the surface.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail an embodiment of the invention with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered as an exemplication of theprinciples of the invention and is not intended to limit the inventionto the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will bepointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A floor crane comprising a base having plural roller means thereonadapted to engage a supporting surface, a vertically disposed supportingmast carried by said base; a boom pivotally mounted to the top portionof said mast; means for raising and lowering said boom relative to saidmast, said means being adapted to move said boom into nesting relationclose to said mast; a pair of elongate support members, a double pivotmounting for each supporting member connecting the supporting members tosaid base including a first pivot means whereby each supporting membercan move between a generally upright storage position adjacent the mastand an extended generally horizontal position overlying the supportsurface and second pivot means whereby each supporting member whenextended can vary in a horizontal plane in the angle at which it extendsfrom the base whereby the span of the supporting members can be variedto straddle wheels of vehicles or other obstacles; means for lockingsaid support lmembers to said base with the elongate axis of saidmembers lying substantially parallel to said supporting surface; rollermeans carried by the base and by the outer end portions of said supportmembers and adapted to engage with said supporting surface', means forreleasing said locking means to permit said support members to bepivoted with respect to said base; means carried by said base and bysaid support members whereby said support members can be pivotedupwardly out of the plane of said base; and means for securing saidsupport members to said mast when in said upwardly pivoted positionwhereby said crane may be readily stored or moved around with a minimumspace requirement.

2. The floor crane as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rollers on saidsupport members when in contact with the supporting surface support thefore part of the crane and hold the forward roller means of the base outof contact with said supporting surface.

3. The floor crane as claimed in claim 2 wherein pump means are providedfor raising and lowering said boom, and said pump means being supportedon the supporting surface removed from said crane when in use.

4. A floor crane comprising a base, a vertically disposed mast carriedby said base, a boom pivotally mounted to the upper portion of saidmast, a pair of support members operatively carried by said base,protruding means carried by the forward part of said base and havinglocking means thereon, said support members extending forwardly of saidbase on either side of said mast and boom and being locked by saidlocking means to said protruding means, and means on said protrudingmeans for permitting said support members to be laterally adjustedrelative to said base upon loosening said locking means whereuponcertain loads will be stabilized when lifted, each support member beingpivoted to the rear portion `of one side of said base about a verticaland horizontal axis whereby said support members may rst be pivotedoutwardly beyond said protruding means upon releasing said locking meansand then pivoted upwardly against said mast for storage.

5. A iloor crane comprising a base, a generally vertically disposedsupporting mast extending upwardly from said base; a boom pivotallymounted to said mast for movement to diierent extended positions fromsaid mast; means connected between the boom `and mast for positioningsaid boom; a pair of support legs for said base, a double pivot mountingfor eachleg connecting the legs to said base including a first pivotmeans whereby each leg can move between a generally upright storageposition adjacent the mast and -an extended generally horizontalposition overlying a support surface and second pivot means whereby eachleg when extended can vary in a horizontal plane in the angle at whichit extends from the base whereby the span of the legs can be varied tostraddle wheels of vehicles or other obstacles; a bracket extending fromthe base and having a length to overlie portions of both of said legs inall angled positions thereof when extended; and releasable fasteningmeans between said legs and bracket to hold the legs in the desiredangled position.

6. A crane havin-g a vertically disposed supporting mast mounted on abase; plural roller means carried by said base for moving said cranefrom one location to another, and at least one pair of said roller meansbeing carried by the forward part of said base and being adapted tocontact a supporting surface; a boom pivoted at one end portion to theupper portion of said mast; actuator means for raising and lowering theother end portion of the boom with the lowered position being in nestingrelation with the mast; pump means for creating uid pressure for saidactuator means; llexible conduit means extending from said pump means tosaid actuator means; means for storing said pump on said crane when notin use, said pump being movable to an area removed from said cranewhereby said pump may be actuated to raise and lower said boom; a pairof elongate legs pivotally mounted on a rearward portion of said baseand in one position extending outwardly therefrom; roller means carriedby the outer end portions of said legs for supporting the front portionof said base and for holding said at least one pair of roller means onsaid base out of contact with said supporting surface; and means forfolding said legs against said mast whereupon said at least one pair `ofroller means on said base will operatively contact said supportingsurface for supporting said crane for movement on said supportingsurface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,284,277 11/ 1918 Ewig et al212-8 2,413,302 l2/1946 Farrell 212-145 2,804,979 9/1957` Lassiter212-145 X v2,851,247 9/19581 Hilding 254--8 3,018,005 1/1962 Renshaw212-8 `3,263,822 8/1966` Weinman 214-132 X HUGO O. SCHULZ, PrimaryExaminer.

